My Bloody Valentine
by MoonGoddessShadow
Summary: Nick's finally returned to Briarwood, but things aren't exactly as he left them. How far will he go to get back what he thinks is his? Oneshot. Post MF. Rated for language and death.


Disclaimer: I don't own the Power Rangers. They're the Mouse's. My Bloody Valentine belongs to Good Charlotte.

Author's Note: This is a oneshot I wrote while I had writers' block with Children of Light. It's way different from what I usually write for MF. I just want to say that, in actuality, I like all these characters. Even Nick. It's just fun writing them differently than I normally do, especially Leanbow. As it is, this all takes place in the show's continuity except for the last part. That takes place sometime after CoL. If you haven't read Children of Light or Child of Darkness, that part might not make as much sense to you, but it shouldn't be that confusing. Anyway, I'm done blathering. Enjoy!

* * *

Gazing out over the city he had called home only a few months earlier, he couldn't help but marvel at how different it seemed, even from a distance. There was just something new about it that he couldn't place. Maybe it was the magic that now ran rampant through every nook and cranny of the city, down to the most unmagical of skyscrapers poking out among the small skyline, or maybe it was how alive and vibrant it seemed without the constant threat of a monster attack looming over it.

Whatever the change in Briarwood was, he knew some things would always stay the same. Xander would always be an overconfident womanizer. Chip would always be stuck in his fantasies, though most of them were apart of his real life now. Vida would always be a tough bitch with a soft spot for her twin and a snarky quip on hand. And Maddie... She would never change. She would always be shy and gentle, and she would always be waiting for him.

When he'd left three months ago to visit his adoptive parents alongside Leanbow and Udonna, he'd promised to come back for her. It wasn't because he really liked her, at least not in the way she wanted him to like her, but because having some there when - if - he came back was a nice thought. Besides, she was pretty cute, especially when she was yelling at him. Way cuter than Vida, with that head of cotton candy hair... He dry-heaved a few times just thinking about it. He liked his girls to be less masculine than himself, anyway.

Banishing the revolting thought, he snatched his helmet from the back of his bike and slipped it on. Revving the engine a few times, he grinned. He was back now, about to make his glorious return, and he was going to claim his prize while he was here.

* * *

It was a light, breezy day, strange for late Californian August, but no one was arguing. The door to the Rock Porium was propped wide open, allowing the breeze to drift in and cool off the packed store. Beings of all races bustled about, undaunted by the loud music pulsating throughout the establishment. Vida stood at her normal position behind the turntables, rocking back and forth to the beat with headphones half off so she could keep up with both the store and her song. Next to her stood Matoombo, bopping to the beat as well. How he was alive would probably always be a mystery to the Pink Ranger; his vague explanation, involving Itassis and a few sacrificed doves, had done nothing to erase her curiosity, but he refused to elaborate, so she let it go.

Sitting on a cushy chair in front of the platform was Xander, currently instructing a faerie employee on what needed to be done today. He'd been relishing in his new position as manager, not only because of the pay raise that accompanied it, but because it seemed to impress the ladies. Of course, the kind of girl that Xander dated was impressed by a bright flame, so that wasn't really saying much.

Madison was working the register as always, handing an elf her purchase and stabbing the receipt onto a tiny spear gently. To her, today was just another day in the strange lives they all lead and nothing more, but she was in high spirits anyway. There was simply nothing in her life to be unhappy about now, and she was perfectly content to while away her summer working with her friends.

Where Chip was at the moment was a mystery to them all, but they hardly paid attention to it. The Yellow Ranger liked to disappear for long periods of time, only to reappear donning a full suit of armor made out of tinfoil and bright yellow sticky notes, or something equally as Chip-like. Sometimes he'd just become enraptured by his own tales of the Ranger victories, sucking in everyone around him with his boisterous stories. In the past few months, he had become quite the storyteller, and even Nikki, the most stubborn of actual participants, had given up on correcting his exaggerations.

Whatever exuberance he'd had before was now bolstered exponentially by his growing relationship with a beautiful girl. At one point, he'd found her sister much more appealing, but looking back at that now, he couldn't have been more wrong. People had far too many preconceived notions about what she was really like, but he saw her for how she truly was: stunning, enigmatic and genuinely fun to be with. They joked around with each other all the time, getting away with more now that they could be open about their magic. Right now, he was going to use their lack of questioning in his disappearances to his advantage.

Out of sight in the stock room, he mentally practiced his spell, reciting the words over and over. Finally, when he felt he was ready, he concentrated on where he wanted to go and said the spell out loud, instantly whisking him away. Effortlessly, he was now crouching behind her, pausing only for a second to make sure she hadn't heard him. When he was satisfied with her minor ignorance, he grinned and snapped his hands out at her ankles. Her surprised squeals resounded throughout the store as she jumped forward, brunette pigtails bouncing over her work shirt. Looking down, she saw nothing, only to be assaulted from the side by his fingers, poking at every ticklish spot they could find. She giggled girlishly and darted away from him, rounding to the opposite side of the register.

"Don't you dare, Chip Thorn," Madison warned, index finger pointed scoldingly at him even though a smile that contradicted it had formed on her lips. "You know how ticklish I am." He grinned at her, leaping in one direction and sending her skittering the same way to keep opposite him.

"That's the idea," he said. "I love seeing you giggle." In a quick move, he was all but on top of her, sending her off in an adorable sort-of sprint. Between the racks of vinyls, over the platform, through Toby's office - they snaked all around the store, Chip almost catching Maddie quite a few times before she managed to slip out of his reach again. Out of the stock room, he nearly had her until she abruptly stopped, sending him crashing into her back and both tumbling to the floor a moment later. They struggled with each other momentarily, limbs entangled, but never once did her eyes lose contact with a specific spot before her, one which he didn't have the fortune of being able to see. The couple stood shakily, Maddie brushing herself absent-mindedly, and Chip finally caught a glimpse at what she was staring at, not noticing that the music playing over the PA had halted.

In the doorway stood Nick, gaping at the entire store with a strange expression on his face, but staring at Madison especially. She stared right back, confusion and surprise adorning her sweet features. They stood like that for a few seconds, only the general noise of the store to keep the awkwardness at a minimum, and then one of them finally mustered the ability to speak.

"Hi," Maddie all but whispered, managing a weak smile.

"Hi," he replied. His eyes drifted around the store, taking in the scene before him with interest.

"I thought you weren't coming back," she ventured, a thread of guilt in her words. It sounded almost as if she was trying to explain away the scene he'd just walked in on. "It has been three months." He shrugged.

"I didn't know if I was going to come back, but Mom and Dad wanted me to." His words made her feel a bit put out.

"So you weren't going to come back for me?" Again, he shrugged.

"I don't know. Eventually, I guess." She frowned.

"Did you even think about me?"

"Sometimes."

"Oh... That's nice, I guess." For a moment, they stood in awkward silence, only the general sounds of the store to keep it from a dead silence.

"...Well, I have to go back to work," Maddie finally said. He nodded stiffly.

"That's fine," he replied. "It was nice seeing you."

"You too." Like that, everything seemed to return to normal, the music picking up in its normal style. Maddie went back to the register, forgetting her antics with Chip, and Nick moved elsewhere to just browse the store. Chip looked between the two, raised an eyebrow and went back to his job taking stock.

Wandering aimlessly around his former workplace while still trying to look like he was doing something, Nick's mind was elsewhere. He had expected Madison to come flying into his arms, filled with joy by his return; on the contrary, she hadn't looked at all happy to see him. No, she acted as if Imperious had just breezed in and asked if they had any Rihanna CDs. She'd seemed stunned at the sight of him, but not in a remotely good way. It was as if she'd been dreading that very moment for quite a while, and every part of their short, stilted conversation reflected that.

And what had she been doing with Chip? It looked like a... tickle fight, of all things. Nothing was going as he'd expected it to.

"Good to see you again, mate," Xander greeted, interrupting Nick's thoughts with a friendly pat on the back and a bright grin. "We were beginning to wonder if you'd ever come back. V owes me twenty bucks."

"Here I am," the Red Wizard replied, ignoring the last comment and glancing to his friend. "What's going on with Maddie and Chip?" The Aussie winced a bit, knowing enough about Nick and Maddie's conversation to know that he was in a bad spot now. He hated being the bearer of bad news.

"None of us are really sure how they happened. After you left, Madison got really withdrawn and after a month, Chip decided to get her out of her funk by taking her to see some cheesy sci-fi flick with her. They started doing that a lot and she started getting better. About a month ago, they finally started dating officially." Xander gave his friend a sympathetic smile. "Sorry mate."

"Oh, I'm fine," Nick lied calmly, despite his raging inner emotions, most of which could be described as some form of anger. He smiled back at the manager. "It was great talking to you, man, but I've got to go. Mom and Dad are expecting me soon." He began to walk away, and the brunet nodded.

"Okay. Hope we see you around more often." Pausing in the doorway, Nick grinned.

"You know you will." With that, he was gone, out the door and up the stairs. Less than a minute later, the rumbling of a motorcycle engine burst into life, tearing away from the store with the same bubbling rage its rider felt.

* * *

What the hell was she doing with that geek? She was supposed to be waiting anxiously for his return, not being chased around the store by that backstabbing jerk. They weren't even right for each other. She was a normal person, and he was some weird kid with ADD and an overactive imagination. He didn't need someone like her when there were perfectly good elves, which he'd probably already fantasied about quite a bit, out there. Why did he have to go for the girl that was someone else's?

And how did a dumb movie win her over? Chip had probably obsessed over the minute details until she'd wanted to cry blood. All he had done was make her wait for a few months without writing or calling, so why was he the one without the girl?

The more Nick thought about it, the angrier he became. She was supposed to be his, whether he really wanted her or not. If he had known she wasn't interested in him anymore, he wouldn't have bothered coming back. The promise of her still being here, still anticipating his arrival, was what really made him want to come back. Yeah, friends and family were nice and all, but the thought of having that shy girl waiting for him was the real draw. Well, that and her ass. She had a fine ass. Both were supposed to be waiting for when he got back.

Here he was, empty handed. He wanted to have her around, and yet he had nothing. Only one question remained in his mind - what could he do to get her back?

That question, of course, had only one answer. No, not win her back with some vomit-inducing show of affection. That was just dumb. The true answer, without a doubt, was to kill Chip. Then she would have to love him. Yes, it all made perfect sense. First, though, he had to know where they were. Maddie didn't need to get wrapped up in this before he was done.

He jumped up from his chair in Root Core, ignoring his half-eaten dinner and empty goblet. A book was off the shelf and open in his hands within moments, ancient pages flipping at a steady pace. Emu... ecstasy... Ebola...aha! Eavesdropping. Focusing on the page, he read the simple instructions. It wasn't the kind of spell his mother would teach them, but he was a big wizard and he needed it. All he needed to do was focus on the people.

"_Audiin_," he whispered into the tip of his wand, ignoring the watchful eye of Udonna. She was all too curious about his doings, so he moved further away from her, listening to the set of voices now emanating from his wand.

"Are you kidding me?" the female voice, obviously Madison, said. "The camera work was too shaky for me to even pay attention. I thought I was going to puke."

"Yeah, but the plot was good," the guy replied, and Nick felt his anger swelling in his chest. It was Chip.

"No way! It was nothing but a blood slasher flick. It hardly had a plot."

"Don't be so stubborn, Maddie. I know you like horror movies."

"Yeah, when they can hold the camera steady and put together a story. That movie was just an excuse for half naked girls to get chopped up in the grossest way possible. It just used excessive blood and gore to scare people."

"It worked on you, didn't it? You wouldn't let go of my hand until the very end." The sound of an engine faded from the background. Apparently, they'd reached their stop.

"Oh, whatever, Mr. I Laugh at Blood." Chip laughed; Nick wanted to rip out his tongue and beat him senseless with it.

"You know you love me anyway." In his mind, Nick retched. How disgusting.

"Always," Maddie replied, followed by the sound of a kiss. "See you later." He heard a door swing open, some rustling and then it slammed shut.

"Night," Chip said. A moment later, the engine turned over and the car drove away. Nick ended the connection there; he'd heard everything he needed to hear.

"I'm going out," he shouted at Udonna, storming out the door before she could properly respond.

"What was that all about?" she asked Leanbow as the younger man disappeared out the door. "Is something wrong?" The elder wizard shrugged.

"He was brooding like that when he came in earlier."

"Do you know why?"

"No. He just sat down and stared into space with this angry look for a while, so I put some wine into his goblet to calm him down." Udonna's eyes went wide.

"You what?!" she screeched. Leanbow flinched slightly.

"I just gave him some wine," he replied meekly, confused by her reaction. "What, is that wrong or something?"

"He's nineteen, Leanbow."

"...and?"

"And he's not old enough to drink by the standards of either dimension!" His face fell.

"...oh." He wasn't exactly up on recent magical or human laws, having spent the past twenty-ish years in the Underworld, so she couldn't blame him, right? With this thought, he put on a bright smile and said, "Well, I'm sure it won't be a problem."

* * *

"I'm home!" Chip shouted, slamming the front door shut.

"Greetings," his uncle replied, not looking up from his shovel. He was going to make it shine if it killed him. Chip tossed his coat onto a chair, swung through the kitchen to grab a Mountain Dew, ignoring the garden shears within the fridge, and made his way upstairs to his bedroom. The door was cracked open, so he kicked it all the way and flipped the light on. For a moment, he proceeded as usual, until he registered the person standing completely still in the far corner. Startled, he leapt back slightly and fell into a fighting stance. When he realized who it was, he relaxed a little.

"Nick, what are you doing here?" he asked quickly, gripping the back of a chair tightly. Something about this didn't sit right with him. Nick smiled viciously.

"I'm here for you." Okay, now really didn't seem like the time to giggle, but that was exactly what Chip did. His mind wasn't functioning properly without any caffeine in his system this late at night (he'd always argued that the one downfall of Briarwood's theater was that it served Coke products, and thus no Mountain Dew), and Nick was just so dead serious. He couldn't help but smile and giggle. Nick's eyes narrowed. "What's so funny?"

"You're just so serious, I couldn't help it," the redhead managed. His former leader smiled as if he were just playing along in some larger joke, but there was a sinister edge to his expression.

"You're right. I am serious." With a wave of his hand, his Magi Staff Sword appeared. "Dead serious." Before Chip could even comprehend what was happening, Nick lunged at him, the tip of the sword piercing his stomach and breaking out the other side. For a moment, they stood that way, frozen with surprise and rage on Chip and Nick's respective faces. Then, the horror and disbelief setting in, Chip glanced between Nick and the sword with wide eyes. A cruel smile on his lips, Nick twisted the blade before pulling it out with a sickening squelch, drops of blood hitting the clean white carpet. The redhead dropped to his knees almost instantly, hands covering his wound while blood seeped between his fingers. He gave Nick a horrified look, but the dark-haired teen only smirked.

"She's mine," he stated, sword vanishing. Turning sharply, he paused only for a second to enjoy the sounds of Chip dying. He couldn't stay for long, though. He had other things to do. In a flash of red light, he was gone, leaving his old friend to bleed to death on the floor.

Downstairs, his uncle sat in the living room, quietly polishing his shovel to perfection.

* * *

She slipped a light blue tank top over her head and popped into the bathroom. It had been a great night - dinner at her favorite Mexican restaurant and then a movie. The movie was some awful slasher flick, but she really hadn't cared. Chip was there, and that was what mattered.

Sometimes she wondered just how they'd ended up together. Just a few cheesy movies and she'd fallen for him. He wasn't like her other guy friends - he couldn't bury his emotions like they could and he wasn't obsessed with himself. He was such a sweetheart and completely honest. She'd fallen for him without realizing it; it had only hit her when she caught herself thinking about him more than Nick.

Poor Nick. He'd walked in at the worst possible time. She'd been meaning to send him a letter, but he had no real address, which made it hard. When he did come back, she'd planned on breaking it to him gently. She hadn't wanted it to be this way. She didn't want it to be so awkward; in the end, she just wanted them to be friends.

Lost in thought, she ambled back into her room, only to be jolted back to reality by the figure in the corner.

"Hello Maddie," he said, moving toward her. There was a crazed sort of kindness in his eyes. "Did I scare you?"

"Just a little," she replied hesitantly, looking over him. Where had he come from? Why was he here? Was she wearing a bra?

"I'm sorry," he said softly, coming closer and touching her cheek. She did her best not to recoil. "I just wanted to bring you the good news myself."

"Try the front door next time," she muttered, adding with a raised eyebrow, "What good news?" He gave her a broad smile.

"He's gone. You don't have to be with him any more." She furrowed her brow.

"Who's gone?"

"That stupid redhead," he spat, eyes narrowing. "Whoever heard of a redhead Ranger, anyway?"

"But your mom -"

"You think that's her natural color?" He snorted. "She dyes it." This sharp retort caught her off guard, and she absently smiled. "That's not the point, though," he continued. "The point is, you're free. He's gone." Mind snapped back to the situation, she gave him a strange look.

"What do you mean Chip's gone? What'd you do to him?"

"I just got rid of him. He was in the way of us." Anger brimmed in her eyes, alongside the slight sheen of tears.

"What's 'us'? There never was an 'us.' You left for three months. You didn't call or even write. I wasn't going to wait forever."

"Why not? I was going to come back."

"You never said you would. You said you might. I wasn't going to hold onto a maybe forever. Besides, I loved him. What exactly did you do to him?" Nick shrugged.

"Stabbed him," he answered casually. "It's better this way, though. Now any feelings you have for him won't stand in our way. We can be together like we were supposed to be." She stepped away from him, tears streaking down her cheeks.

"I don't love you," she said, trying to keep her voice level. "I loved him. We can't be together, not ever." Letting that sting him, she finally broke down. "How could you do that to him? How could you do that to me?" His smile fell, but he persisted.

"I did it because he was in our way. Without him, we can be together." He moved to grab her shoulders gently, but again she pulled away.

"We can't be together. Why don't you get that? I don't love you." His gentle demeanor evaporated quickly, hands grabbing her arms tightly before she could back away.

"Yes, you do. I know you do," he stated, a harshness to his words. "We were meant to be." Now she was getting angry, too, fighting against his vice grip.

"I thought I loved you. I was wrong. You didn't even love me back."

"But I do now."

"No, you were just jealous, and now Chip's dead. If you really loved me, you would've lived with that." His eyes narrowed.

"I do love you. You're mine now."

"Hands off my sister!" roared a voice from the doorway, unnatural winds ripping around them. Nick whipped around to see Vida there, pure rage on her features.

"Who are you to stop me?" he shouted over the gale.

"It's not just her," another voice added, stepping from behind the taller twin. Nick glared at the arrivals.

"Just leave us alone. This isn't about the either of you." Xander gave him an incredulous look.

"You killed Chip! How does that not involve us?" It was Nick's turn to raise an eyebrow.

"How'd you know about that?" he asked. Vida smirked.

"One of many things you missed while you were gone," she answered. "We cast a special spell that alerted all the wands if there was an emergency around one of them. Chip activated it before he died." Madison's face fell.

"So he really is dead?" Her twin nodded grimly.

"He is. At least, for now. Matoombo is there now, performing the resurrection ritual. I'm still not sure where he found the doves at this time of night, though." The Blue Ranger's eyes lit up.

"So he's not dead."

"Technically, he still is," Vida replied with a shrug. "But give Toomy some time." Nick and Xander each raised an eyebrow.

"Toomy?" they both asked, situation forgotten. Vida simply shrugged.

"What? I think it's cute, and so does he."

"Whatever," Nick muttered, rolling his eyes while Xander smirked.

No one knew it, but the alcohol was beginning to wear off the Red Ranger, and he glanced around nervously.

"You guys aren't going to hurt me, are you? I'm way too cool to die now."

"That makes two of us," Xander muttered, grinning. Vida rolled her eyes now.

"We won't hurt you if you leave Maddie alone," she stated. He glanced between the twins and sighed.

"I guess. I really don't want you messing up my leather jacket, anyway. Same for my face." He backed away and Vida instantly hugged Madison while Xander again grinned.

"Kind of hot, isn't it?" he commented, motioning to the Roccas. Nick glanced at them and smirked.

"I'd hit it," he replied, adding with a grimace, "minus the pink hair." Xander too winced.

"It's like you read my mind."

"Hey!" Vida shouted, smacking him on the back of the head. "I'll have you know that Toomy likes it. He says it's adorable." The guys raised their eyebrows.

"What is he, your boyfriend?" Vida smiled sheepishly, and their jaws dropped.

"No fucking way," Nick muttered.

"I think I just puked," Xander added. Vida rolled her eyes.

"Shut up, you two. At least he can bring Chip back."

"I hope he can," Maddie said.

"I know he can. After all, he went through the same thing. Itassis taught him how just in case, and she's the smart one."

"Not as smart as we thought," Xander said. "She _is_ dating Daggeron." Nick raised his eyebrows.

"Itassis and Daggy? Who isn't dating someone completely out of left field now?" They all looked between the others.

"Just Xander," Maddie answered, "and you, unless you went on a murderous rampage for nothing." He shook his head.

"Still single. I mean, not many can keep up with me. I am the Light." They all rolled their eyes. How many uncountable times had he used that as an excuse? And it hadn't even come up in the final battle.

"Well," Xander interjected, breaking the short silence, "as hilarious as this all was, I have to get my beauty sleep. Looks this good don't just happen." The Green Ranger began walking out, but paused in the doorway to look at Nick. "You want to work tomorrow? We still have your shirt and time card, and one of my pixies is out sick." Nick nodded.

"Might as well make some money while I'm in town." The well-groomed manager grinned.

"Fantastic. See you at ten."

"Will do." In an instant, the young man was down the stairs and outside, presumably to the nearest tree to teleport home. That left Vida, Madison and Nick in the bedroom, Maddie in her pajamas and Vida giving Nick a meaningful look. He caught on quickly, glancing anywhere but Maddie's tight, low-cut tank top.

"I oughta go too. I don't want to try to explain this scene to your parents if they ever wake up. Besides," he grinned, "I've got work tomorrow." Maddie smiled, while the most he got from Vida was an upward turn of the corners of her mouth. "See ya."

"Bye," Madison said. Anticipating no response from Vida, he teleported out in a flash of red light. Now it was just the twins.

"One helluva day, huh?" Vida posed, still staring at where Nick had been.

"You're telling me," the shorter girl answered. Vida made her way to the door, sighing.

"I'm getting a bucket of ice cream. Want to join me?" Maddie sighed.

"I'll be there in a minute."

* * *

"And that you for shopping the Rock Porium," Nick said, handing the bagged record to the blonde on the other side of the counter. Smiling at him, she took the bag and sauntered out, though he hardly noticed. His eyes drifted around the shop, marveling at how his life had changed in two weeks. Here he was, back in Briarwood, and everything and nothing seemed the same all at once. Vida and Matoombo were dating, as were Daggeron and Itassis, Toby and Nikki, and Chip and Madison. It was like their whole lives had been turned into one big romantic, not to mention weird, fairy tale. Even he'd found someone new. He was beginning to think they couldn't escape it.

"Hello there, love," his new interest greeted, pressing a quick kiss on the Red Ranger's cheek. Nick smiled back.

"Nice of you to finally show up," he replied. "Wouldn't want to abuse your power too much." His love flashed him a grin.

"Never," the youth replied, slipping on a purple work shirt. Nick grinned.

"Beauty sleep, I assume?" The worker winked.

"Can't let my good looks falter." Across the room, Vida rolled her eyes.

"Stuff it and get to work, Xander," she ordered, drawing smirks from both guys.

"Don't make me give you extra hours," he shot back, "because I've been looking for some time for Nick and me to go to that new Chinese place on Orion." Vida mockingly gagged.

"You guys are too disgusting sometimes."

"Hey, just cause you and the puffball can't go anywhere that doesn't have at least eight feet of clearance, doesn't mean you have to take it out on us." She stuck her tongue out at them and went back to mixing music. The couple shared victory smiles.

"I love it when she just gives up like that. I think Matoombo's starting to mellow her out," Xander commented.

"I just don't think she can handle us," Nick replied, getting a smile from his boyfriend.

"'Too Hot to Handle,'" he said, holding his hands out to imagine the marquee. "That should be the title of my autobiography." Nick snorted.

"In your dreams."

"Only in yours," the Aussie answered with a wink. "Anyway, I do have work to attend to. Scheduling for next week and all." He wandered into the office, giving Nick a goofy grin the whole way there.

Watching his boyfriend disappear into the shaded room, Nick still felt amazed. In two weeks, he'd somehow managed to fall head over heels for the Green Ranger. He had no way to explain it beyond the strange connection they'd made at the Rocca house a couple weeks ago. It had evolved from simply going clubbing to making out on his sister's couch. They tried to deny feeling anything for a few days after, but both felt the same connection. Once they'd admitted that, it was both awkward and quick. They were together before either realized what was happening.

Of course, it didn't hurt that Xander was really good looking, too.

Life had gone back to normal, loosely defined, surprisingly swiftly once Chip was alive again. He'd forgiven Nick immediately, but not without stipulations. The Red Ranger was stuck with the redhead's set of Fire Heart cleaning duties for the next three months. It was amazing how dirty an airborne creature could get. At least Chip wasn't the type to hold a grudge. He wasn't in any hurry to see what dying was like.

His entire world finally seemed at peace. There were no monster attacks, no reason to be on alert at all times. He could enjoy himself, walk down the street and not fear being attacked by a horde of zombies. It was a good feeling. For once, everything in his life felt right. All his friends had found love; even he'd found someone he connected with, and their world was at peace. Life was finally just the way he liked it.

* * *

"What the hell?" was the first thing out of Vida's mouth as the image in the crystal ball faded away. "Were they really us?"

"In another universe, yes," Udonna answered. "We all exist in many forms in different verses." Maddie, the only other one in the room who seemed awake, nodded.

"You've told us that before," she said, "but I didn't think we'd be that different."

"You were the ones who wanted to know," the older woman replied.

"Only because I had a vision of their defeat of the Master."

"Took 'em long enough," Vida muttered. "But seriously, Matoombo? He's my friend."

"Not there, he isn't," Maddie said with a grin, earning a stuck out tongue from her twin.

"Me and Xander?!" Nick finally exploded. The latter shuddered. "That's just... wrong. No offense, man."

"None taken," Xander replied. "Believe me, the sentiment's returned."

"I dated Maddie? And Nick killed me? What's wrong with that world?" Chip added, the last to break his stunned silence. Vida nodded along with his words.

"Seriously. Did their Nick even do anything as the Light? He just got handed a shiny new toy because he made his connection with the Fire Heart. Big whoop. He never even used his power to destroy the Master."

"And how long did it take them to defeat him?" Madison added. "That was just sad."

"The Ancients got the shaft, too," Xander said. "They mentioned them sometimes, even used their power to morph, and had no idea who they were."

"What about my knight training?" Chip interjected. "It's like everyone just forgot about it."

"Why did Clare just stop being the Gatekeeper? Was there no chance of there ever being a threat to the Gates again? And how did she just get full sorceress powers? It takes lots of training to get that sort of power."

"What was up with Necrolai's sudden face turn? It came out of nowhere."

"Why would I kill Chip?"

"Why would I date him?... Not that I think you're disgusting or anything. You're just not my type."

"Am I really that much of an ass?"

"You want a truthful answ-OW!"

"Shut up, Xander. Nick, you're much better now. You were only that bad at the beginning."

"I can't believe their me dyed her hair pure pink. I don't hate the color anymore, but all pink? Blech."

"Did they ever go to school or see their families? It's like all they did was fight and go to work." Finally, Udonna held up a hand.

"That is enough," she stated. "As I've said, your own lives can be drastically different in verses other than our own. It is how they live, and they know no different."

"I still think they're weird," Vida replied.

"They are simply different from you or me."

"Mom, their me killed Chip over Madison. That's weird." Xander nodded.

"And did you see his face when he did it? Kind of freaky." Like that, the previous conversation picked back up, engrossing all five teens. Sighing gently, Udonna smiled and left them to talk. It was the least she could do after everything they'd done for this verse.


End file.
